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Friday, February 15, 2013

Movie Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

Political prisoner Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch) languishes
in a Moscow prison cell, patiently awaiting his day in court.His only obstacle is the corrupt government
official Chagarin (Sergei Kolesnikov), who constantly pressures him to hand over
a secret file.When such efforts prove
fruitless, he resorts to more drastic measures. Elsewhere, Jack McClane (Jai
Courtney) suddenly finds himself at the mercy of Moscow’s judicial system.Half a world away, John McClane (Bruce
Willis) learns of his son’s plight and immediately travels to Moscow.Upon his arrival, both Jack and Yuri sit in a
courthouse holding pen.Before any legal
proceedings can begin, the building is bombed.Jack and Yuri make an escape amidst the chaos.They are nearly intercepted by the perpetrators
of the attack when John intervenes.The
trio then spends the foreseeable future evading capture.Can John salvage his relationship with his
son amidst endless barrages of gunfire?

As can sometimes happen in a large family, the father feels
estranged from his youngest offspring.Such is the case here, and for good reason.A Good
Day to Die Hard is the fifth entry in the Die Hard series.Any connection it has to the original film is
at best tenuous.Under such
circumstances, one might expect the new film to carve out its own unique
identity.That would be the logical
choice, seeing as how it features a younger and apparently more able bodied
protagonist in Jai Courtney.However,
logic is obviously of little concern to director John Moore and company.A Good
Day to Die Hard adheres to no particular discipline, and has seemingly
little regard for the original’s legacy.

In Die Hard, Jan
De Bont’s camera effortlessly shifted vantage points depending on the
requirements of the scene.At times, it
acted as a voyeur.It would peer around
corners in much the same manner as John McClane himself.At other times, it mirrored the mindset of a
frightened hostage.When an action scene was underway, it became a
transfixed spectator.Even the most
mundane or grotesque moments were often rendered with an understated beauty.Judging by his work on A Good Day to Die Hard, cinematographer Jonathan Sela has no such
ambitions.He relies mostly on hand-held
shots, with the occasional reverse zoom.The monochromatic color palette has all the visual flair of an overcast
sky.

The initial, happenstance meeting between John and Jack
McClane perfectly personifies the first act of the film.Nothing makes much sense.The movie risks blowing its proverbial load
far too early, with an apocalyptic car chase through Moscow.The onscreen chaos is completely devoid of
grace or coherence.Subsequent set
pieces are handled similarly.A good
example is a sequence where McClane and son descend through the scaffolding alongside
a building.All the while, the structure
is being eviscerated by aircraft fire.In more competent hands, it might be worthy of an Indiana Jones film.As
directed by John Moore, it never comes close to that level of whimsy and
excitement.

Most crippling to the film is it’s characterization of John
McClane.As shown here, he is no longer a
resilient everyman.He is now a
stone-faced killing machine who mows down one wave of henchmen after another
without batting an eye.This evolution
(if it can be called that) feels neither authentic nor organic.Bruce Willis seems bored, and has reduced his
performance to mere short hand.John
McClane is now a collection of mannerisms, ticks, and one-liners.

With each successive film, the Die Hard series has gotten that much further away from its initial
premise.The last two films feel
completely disconnected from the first three.They exist in another universe, and represent a rapid decline in quality.If Live
Free or Die Hard was simply a generic actioner masquerading as a Die Hard film, then A Good Day to Die Hard is a chintzy knock-off.John McClane is no longer a scrappy little
cockroach of an action hero.He’s now a
louder, less refined James Bond.He also
lacks the martial skillset of a Jason Bourne or a Bryan Mills.Instead of truly overcoming obstacles, he
simply bulldozes past them.His attitude
reflects that of the film itself.The
original Die Hard thrilled audiences
the world over.A Good Day to Die Hard prefers to decimate them, like a weapon of
mass destruction en route to a strategic target.

About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Scott Wilson, deep thinker and blogger extraordinaire. I'm also a published author and proud father. Last but certainly not least, I'm a single (IE Available), but I'm definitely looking to change that. My life is an ongoing work in progress, and I'm always looking to improve.